big Boom in houston: A series of explosions brought down the former Macy’s department store, a downtown landmark, in Houston on Sunday. Many Houstonians remember the store as Foley’s.

Smiley N. Pool •Houston Chronicle via Associated Press,

Nation/World briefing

September 22, 2013 - 11:56 PM

California

Three from crashed Navy jet rescued

Three of the five people aboard a California-based U.S. Navy helicopter that crashed in the Red Sea have been rescued and efforts to find the other two are continuing, the Navy said Sunday. The three who were rescued are in stable condition, the Navy said. The MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6 from North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, Calif., was operating from the guided-missile destroyer William Lawrence when it crashed. Ships from the carrier Nimitz strike group are assisting in the search.

Colorado

Harmful E. coli found in town’s water

Potentially deadly E. coli bacteria has been found in the water system of Lyons, a town hit hard by recent flooding. Town officials say there’s no timeline for when the water and sewer systems will be restored. Many of Lyons’ residents were evacuated by National Guard troops last week. If they want to return, officials said, they do so at their own risk.

Far East

Toll at 33 deaths after typhoon hits China

A typhoon that slammed into southern China with winds that blew cars off the road has caused more deaths, bringing the toll in Asia to at least 33 on Monday. Typhoon Usagi, which was the season’s strongest storm at its peak, forced hundreds of flight cancellations and shut down shipping and train lines before weakening to a tropical depression over the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on Monday. China said 25 deaths occurred in Guangdong, where the typhoon made landfall late Sunday. Intercity trains including the high-speed rail to Beijing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong were suspended until Tuesday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Russia

Lavrov says U.S. is trying to stop Syria deal

Russia on Sunday accused the United States of trying to sabotage an agreement for Syrian leader Bashar Assad to surrender his chemical weapons. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the U.S. is threatening to “fold up the work” toward securing the chemical weapons if Russia won’t back a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Israel

Israeli soldier shot and killed in Hebron

An Israeli soldier in Hebron was shot and killed in what authorities suspect was an attack by a Palestinian sniper. It was the second such attack in the West Bank since Friday, when a Palestinian man lured an Israeli soldier to another West Bank village and killed him.